From district alternates to state champions, the UIL computer science team has seen immense growth through their years, and they are ready to take another season head-on.
“We originally started as a club,” computer science coach Terry Morris said. “We had no clue what we were doing but we had kids who loved doing it and I liked teaching it. I remember sitting in the lecture hall with all the teachers back when Dr. Estes was the principal. She announced they were thinking about doing computer science as a foreign language and she asked the entire room if anyone would like to teach it. She said if you want to teach it to see her afterwards. I really wanted to do this. I liked teaching math, and I was good at it, but computer science was my passion. I bee-lined it for her room as fast as I could. In my head I was thinking there would be 50 people waiting to ask because computer science is so cool. There was not a line. I was the only person.”
Morris was able to teach computer science from that day on.
“The first year we started we had a club of kids we did not do very well,” Morris said. “We totaled about 192 points, which is combined written and programming.”
The scoring system in UIL Computer Science Written and Programming is different from many competitions. In written, the test has 40 questions with a starting score of 0. For every question correct, six points are added and for every incorrect answered, two points are subtracted even if their score goes below zero. This comes to the highest score possible being 240 and the lowest being –80. This score is combined with the team’s programming score. Teams will have two hours to complete 12 programs, each program totaling 60 points each. Incorrect programs can be re-submitted for a deduction of five points.
“We got second place but they had awarded us first place,” Morris said. “The gentleman that was judging did not know how to judge programming and at the time neither did I. He put the medals on our kids for first place and then he took them off because he accepted another program from the other team late for 60 points leading to us getting second place instead. That was the moment I decided I wanted to learn how to judge programming because I could not let that happen again.”
The next year Morris was certified to judge programming at a contest held in Nederland as the assistant coordinator at the contest.
“There was a guy there to help me from Livingston,” Morris said. “I asked him to set the timer for two hours. We programmed until Nederland was playing solitaire and the timer went off, so we lost again. Mrs. Smith told us it had not been two hours. It turned out the guy set the timer for an hour and twenty minutes. If we would have gotten one more program, we would have won.”
In 2018, LCM became the largest 4A school in the state. Morris said this was a challenge because even though the new schools in the district were smaller, they were all just as good. That year, the team advanced through district and into state.
“We have to keep on going to meets,” Morris said. “Even if we get our butts kicked, we have to learn and know how to compete at district.”
The team progressed to getting as far as first in state. Morris says he is optimistic for his team this year because of the high amount of returning members.
“I think they’re excited,” Morris said. “We are practicing a lot this year to put our best foot forward. Right now, we practice Mondays and Wednesdays. We go to three Houston meets a year. I would like to see us win state, but we can’t take places like district for granted.”
According to Morris, he does not know the other team’s secret, but he does know that his team can outwork them. That is why “relentless” is on the team’s shirt.
“My college professor recognized my shirt,” former team member Ryan Foreman said. “After class was over, she pulled me aside and introduced me to Lamar’s computer science team. She was even surprised with my knowledge about things Mr. Morris taught in my sophomore year.”
The team members themselves are preparing for State and competing for spots through rankings.
“All we can do now is prepare,” Morris said. “Hard work is what is going to get us to state – not just hoping.”
